Shock absorber mounting for snowmobiles

ABSTRACT

A structure for mounting shock absorbers onto snowmobiles or other vehicles that are provided with front steering and riding ski structures including means for mounting one end of the shock absorber to the spindle housing of the snowmobile with the other end thereof being provided in absorbing relationship to the ski of the vehicle and providing a means for mounting the upper end of the shock absorber in a universal captured arrangement which will permit the shock absorber to react in its normal fashion for any ski position and further such mounting means providing an adjustable universal arrangemement wherein the tension applied to the upper end of the shock absorber will tend to return the skis to a forward or frontwardly directed alignment.

United States Patent [19 1 Hendrickson-et al.

[45] May 7, 1974 1 SHOCK ABSORBER MOUNTING FOR SNOWMOBILES [76]Inventors: 'G. Vernon Hendrickson, 309 Main Ave. 80., Rouseau, Minn.56751;

Kermit A. Hendrickson, Rt. 2, Lake Park, Minn. 56554 [22] Filed: Aug.17, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 281,448

Harvey"... 180/5 R Primary Examiner-Richard J. Johnson Attorney, Agent,or Firm-James R. Cwayna [57] ABSTRACT A structure for mounting shockabsorbers onto snowmobiles or other vehicles that are provided withfront steering and riding ski structures including means for mountingone end of the shock absorber to the spindle housing of the snowmobilewith the other end thereof being provided in absorbing relationship tothe ski of the vehicle and providing a means for mounting the upper endof the shock absorber in a universal captured arrangement which willpermit the shock absorber to react in its normal fashion for any skiposition and further such mounting means providing an adjustableuniversal arrangemement wherein the tension applied to the upper end ofthe shock absorber will tend to return the skis to a forward orfrontwardly directed alignment.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SHOCK ABSORBER MOUNTING FOR SNOWMOBILESbetween the skis of the snowmobile and the spindles by which the skisare controlled and turned. The utilization of shock absorbers betweenthe skis and the spindles upon which the skis are mounted provides acertain degree of shock absorbing and thus improved rid- A ingcapabilities but such an arrangement results in several difficulties.When providing a shock absorber between a ski and a spindle upon which aski is mounted, the spindle is required to absorb a portion of thetransferred shock and as such, a great degree of bending force isapplied to the spindle.

Applicant has provided herein a shock absorber mounting arrangementwherein the upper connective element of the shock absorber is attachedto the hearing post or housing for the spindle such that the spindledoes not absorb any of the transferred shock and further applicantprovides a means for mounting the upper end of the shock absorber suchthat a universal movement factor is allowed thereby such that the lowerportion of the shock absorber attached to the ski may be shifted througha plurality of directions withoutplacing undue torque or lever forcesupon the attachment bracket. The universal mounting will tend tobringthe shock absorber and thus the attached ski to a forward directionthereby assisting the driver to return the steering gear to its frontaldrive position.

With applicants universal mounting and adjustability features providedtherein, the degree of universal movement is controlled and the mountingfurther provides for the absorbing ability to be available no matter towhat direction the ski is turned.

It is therefore an object of applicants invention to provide a mountingfor a shock absorbing member to be placed on snowmobiles and the likewherein a first portion thereof is attached tothe ski of the snowmobileand a second portion thereof is universally mounted such that the shockabsorbing ability of the shock absorber is available in any turningdisposition of the ski.

It is a further object of applicants invention to provide a universalmounting for one end of shock absorber of a snowmobile or the like withthe other end of the shock absorber being attached to the ski thereofsuch that the universal adjustment at the one mentioned end thereof maybe loaded to a desired degree which will assist in returning the skis ofthe snowmobile to a forwardly directed position upon completion of anyturn or the like.

It is still a further object of applicants invention to provide a shockabsorber mounting for snowmobiles and the like which may be attached tothe snowmobiles which are now not provided with such a shock absorbingsystem by simply providing a bracket member mountable on the spindlehousing and bearing portion of the snowmobile without requiring that anymodifications or the like be made to the spindle or ski turning portionsof a snowmobile.

These and other objects and advantages of applicants invention will morefully appear from the accompanying description made in connection withthe accompanying drawings wherein like numerals are. utilized for thesame or similar parts throughout the accompanying views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a prespective frontal view of a snowmobile provided with shockabsorbers on the steering ski portions thereof;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation taken substantially along Lines 2-2 of FIG. 1illustrating the connection of the shock absorber to the spindle housingand ski of the snowmobile;

FIG. 3 is a section taken substantially along Line 33 of FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating a second modified formof the invention.

In accordance with the accompanying drawings, a snowmobile generallydesignated is illustrated in FIG. 1 and to those skilled in the art itis well known that snowmobiles mormally provide a track 1 1 for drivingof the vehicle and provide at least one directing and steering ski andin the case illustrated, a pair of such skis 12 are provided. It is notwithout this scope of applicants invention that this shock absorbersystem could be applied to either a unitary or dual ski snowmobile andtherefore no differentiation is made in this application between asnowmobile which will utilize either a single or a dual ski.

Normally the ski of a snowmobile is mounted as is illustrated in thecross sectional arrangement of FIG. 2 of applicants illustrations. Inthe form shown a spindle mounting or bearing member 13 is provided whichspindle mounting member 13 extends through the body 14 of the snowmobileand which spindle mounting member 13 is normally attached in some mannerto the frame of the snowmobile. These are structural considerationswhich are well known to those skilled in the art and explanations as tomounting points and linkage for this spindle with respect to the frameand the body is thought to be irrelevant to the objects of thisinvention. Obviously in any snowmobile design, whether a uni or dual skiconfiguration a steering spindle 15 must be provided to extend throughthe spindle housing 13 and thus to the body of the unit and this spindle13 is controlled through a steering mechanism and links generallydesignated 16 which in turn are connected to the steering handle barmechanisms 17 of the snowmobile for controlled movement of the skis 12.

In the standard and well known configurations for such steering skis,the ski 12 is provided with a leaf spring mounting 18 having a rearwardmounting member 18a and a frontal mounting member 18b upon the skil2'with a connective U-channel 19 or the like which will connect amidpoint portion of the leaf spring 18 to the bottom of the spindlemember 15 such that as the spindle is rotated this rotative directionalsteering will be transmitted to the ski 12 while the ski is permittedto, through the U-shaped mounting 19, move in a plane normal to themounting thereof to the spindle.

In the form shown, applicant provides a shock absorber mountingdesignated in its entirity 20 at the forward end of the ski such thatthe attachment bracket 18b may be extended as at 21 to provide a secondpin mounting 22 for the lower end of the shock absorber designated 23.The shock absorber as illustrated consists of a cylinder portion 24 witha rod member 25 extending therefrom. Obviously the action of a shockabsorber is known in the art and no discussion of its interior structureis deemed necessary.

Applicants basic concept in this invention lies in the means forattaching the shock absorber 23 to the spindle housing 13 of thesnowmobile and this mounting is generally designated 26. In the formshown an aperture 14a is provided through the body 14 of the snowmobileand a weather seal such as a rubber cap member 27 is provided to sealagainst the body 14 around the aperture 14a formed therethrough andextend upwardly and around the attachment portion 26 of the shockabsorber 23. Attachment bracket 26 as illustrated, is arrangedinteriorly of the housing but it should be obvious that this samebracket arrangement depending upon the length and location of thespindle housing 13 could well be without the body 14 of the snowmobileand therefore this weather seal arrangement would not be necessary forproper operation. of the unit. This placement depends upon theparticular snowmobile involved and is not a necessary feature of theinvention.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a first bracket member 30is porvided and is secured to the spindle housing 13 and this bracket inthe form shown includes an extending leg member having means forpositioning the upper end or rod portion of the absorber 23 in arelationship with the ski 12 such that in the normal frontal drivingposition a maximum shock absorbing ability will be achieved.

A particular form of mounting is illustrated in FIG. 3 wherein again therod of the shock absorber 23 is des ignated 25 and means are providedfor universally attaching this end of the rod 25 to the extending andmounting bracket 30.

In the form shown a first cup member 31 cylindrical in shape and havingthreads 32 at the extending end thereof is provided with means such as acap screw 33 arranged on the closed end thereof to hold the housingmember 31 securely to the extending leg of the attachment bracket. Thiscylindrical cup member 31 provides interiorly thereof a first cushioningor resilient member 34 extending a predetermined distance longitudinallytherein. As illustrated herein the end 25a of the rod member 25 of thecylinder 23 is threaded and a washer 35 or the like is captured thereonwith a pair of threaded capturing elements 36a, 36b on either sidethereof. This washer or stop element 35 abuts against the end 340 of theresilient biasing member 34.

Arranged opposite the washer or stop member 35 is a second resilientmember 37 having a convex shape which abuts with the stop or washerelement 35 and this member is again a compressable and resilient memberwhich will permit movement of the attachment rod 25 and washer 35between the resilient member 34 and itself.

A first bearing member 38 is arranged on one side of the resilientmember 37 and this washer element 38 is of a material having acoefiicient of friction such as brass or the like. It should be notedthat this member is substantially dome shaped and provides an aperture38 therethrough to permit the rod 25 to pass therethrough and thismember is of a size to permit certain shifting therearound about theconvex resilient member 37.

Capturing this entire configuration is a cap assembly or capturingelement 39 having a dome shaped portion 39a and a cylindrical threadedportion 39b extending therefrom with a passage 39c therethrough of asize to permit a relatively great degree of oscillation and shifting ofthe rod 25 therein. With the configuration as illustrated in FIG. 3 itshould be obvious that the capturing element 39 may be adjusted againstthe resilient member 37 and thus force the washer stop member 35 of rod25 against resilient member 34 to control the deviations from an in linerelationship of the rod 25 of the cylinder 20. With this system then acertain spring biasing, universal mounting of the shock absorber 23 isprovided wherein the rod 25 of the shock absorber 23 is permitted tomove in any direction with a certain degree of latitude and bytightening of the capturing element 39 an increased tensioning willresult and therefore the tendency of the rod to return to forward iscontrolled. This will assist the operator in bringing the ski to aforward position.

In the modified form of the invention as illustrated in FIG. 4 the samecylindrical cup member 40 is provided having a capturing element 41extending upwardly into the supporting bracket 30 provided to encapturethis cylindrical cup member 41 and in the form shown a first guidemember 42 is provided about the capturing element for the centering of abiasing member 43. This biasing member 43 extends longitudinally in thecup member 40 to engage against one side of a washer or stop member 44which stop member again is attached to the shock absorber rod member 25which stop member 44 is held thereon through a pair of capturingelements 45, 46 and wherein the washer stop member 44 is provided withshoulder sections 44a, 44b for centering of the first biasing member 43and a second biasing member 47 arranged on the opposite side of the stopshoulder tobias against the first mentioned spring 43. In the formshown, a capturing cap 48 is provided with a first shoulder 49 with aguide shoulder 49a interiorly thereof with an aperture 50 through andinteriorly of the shoulder member 49a such that the biasing member 47will be arranged between the shoulder member 49a and the shoulder 44a ofthe stop element 44. In this form, the capturing cap 48 is adjustablyarranged upon the cylinder 40 such that tightening thereof will increasebiasing on both sides of the stop element 44 and thus increase itstendency to return to a normal position therefore tending to bring theshaft 25 of the shock absorber 23 into a frontal straight line positionwith regard to the bracket 30.

In the second form of the invention two biasing members designated 43and 47 are provided but it should be obvious that either one of thesemembers, preferably the interior member 43 could be replaced through aflexible biasing member such as the member 34 as illustrated in FIG. 3.This would not depart from the scope of the invention as the concept isto provide biasing between these members which will permit universalmovement of the shaft 25 of the shock absorber 23 and still tend toreturn the absorber and the attached ski to a frontal position.

With the universal arrangement provided in this unit it should beobvious that although the ski may be turned that the shock absorbingqualities of the absorber 23 will still be maintained without producingundue flexing of the attachment rod 25. In addition to this advantage itshould be obvious that since the upper end of the rod 25 of the shockabsorber 23 is fixedly attached to the spindle housing portion 13 thatthe degree of compression will determine the degree of driverrealignment to bring the ski into a frontal direction for straight linesteering.

It should be obvious that applicant has provided a unique mountingarrangement for a shock absorber for snowmobiles and the like which willpermit its utilization not only as a new attachment to snowmobiles butas an additional attachment to snowmobiles which are not now providedwith such devices.

What I claim is:

1. An improvement in mounting shock absorbing devices to vehicles havingski members or the like for turning, such improvement including:

a. a shock absorber having a first and a second end, one of such endsbeing attached to a ski of the vehi cle;

b. a bracket securely arranged on a selected portion of the snowmobile;

c. a mounting member provided on said bracket to capture said other endof said absorber, having: 1. a first cup shaped member attached to saidbracket and having connector means on one open, extending end;

2. a first resilient member received in said cup shaped member;

3. a closure member receivable on said connector means and having anaperture for receiving the rod of the absorber therethrough;

4. a second resilient member received in said closure member; and,

5. stop means on the rod of said absorber arranged between said firstand second resilient member.

said rod means.

1. An improvement in mounting shock absorbing devices to vehicles havingski members or the like for turning, such improvement including: a. ashock absorber having a first and a second end, one of such ends beingattached to a ski of the vehicle; b. a bracket securely arranged on aselected portion of the snowmobile; c. a mounting member provided onsaid bracket to capture said other end of said absorber, having:
 1. afirst cup shaped member attached to said bracket and having connectormeans on one open, extending end;
 2. a first resilient member receivedin said cup shaped member;
 3. a closure member receivable on saidconnector means and hAving an aperture for receiving the rod of theabsorber therethrough;
 4. a second resilient member received in saidclosure member; and,
 5. stop means on the rod of said absorber arrangedbetween said first and second resilient member.
 2. a first resilientmember received in said cup shaped member;
 2. The structure set forth inclaim 1 and said closure member being adjustably mounted on saidconnector member.
 3. The structure set forth in claim 1 and said closuremember being arranged and constructed to control said resilient membersand thereby control the tension on said rod means.
 3. a closure memberreceivable on said connector means and hAving an aperture for receivingthe rod of the absorber therethrough;
 4. a second resilient memberreceived in said closure member; and,
 5. stop means on the rod of saidabsorber arranged between said first and second resilient member.